Janice Gillian, our finance officer, is closing her Excel speadsheet for good and retiring after six years keeping the Society financially ship-shape and bringing calm good sense to moments of panic.

Janice joined the society in September 2016. She helped revolutionise the Society’s finance processes, as we moved away from using the services provided by the University of Wales since our establishment.

The independent and rigorous systems she established remain a foundation of the Society’s practices and development.

Professor Hywel Thomas, PLSW, said:

It’s always a little sad to say good bye to excellent colleagues when they leave and Janice’s case is no exception.

We have been very lucky to have had the benefit of her service for so many years. Her rigorous approach to our finances has served us in good stead. She leaves the books in great shape.

The nature of her position in the Society means that she had had to deal personally with the Fellowship and that has always been carried out with huge professionalism. She is also a great team player, as witnessed recently when she organised our face-to-face Fellows’ social events in Aberystwyth and Swansea.

We are sorry to lose her but equally wish her a wonderful, long and happy retirement. It will be rather strange for me personally, as a man of North Carmarthenshire (Llandovery) originally, to lose the LSW’s branch in Myddfai!

Thank you for everything Janice.

Away from finances, Janice has played a key role in many of the Society’s other activities and events. She was key to the success of the International Symposium we hosted in Cambridge, helping to herd various attendees from across Wales and the world to Magdalene College, not to forget punting along the Cam.

As Dr. Sarah Morse, our Policy and Public Affairs Manager says, “a lot of what Janice has done is the ‘unseen’ activity that keeps everything ticking over, the things that can get taken for granted.”